An automatic analysis device which performs quantitative analysis or qualitative analysis of specific components included in biological specimens such as blood and urine is indispensable for the present diagnosis because of the reproducibility of the analysis results and the high processing speed.
A measurement method of the automatic analysis device is roughly classified into an analysis method (colorimetric analysis) using a reagent which reacts with a component to be analyzed in a specimen and changes the color of a reaction liquid, and an analysis method (immune analysis) using a reagent in which a marker is added to a substance which specifically binds to a target component directly or indirectly to count the marker.
In general, the automatic analysis device which performs the colorimetric analysis is configured such that a plurality of reaction vessels arranged in an annular shape on a rotatable disk are repeatedly rotated and stopped, and a reaction between the reagent and the biological specimens such as blood and urine is continuously and cyclically analyzed.
The definition of cycle time in an automatic analysis device generally refers to the time from dispensing a specimen for measurement in one reaction vessel to dispensing a specimen in the next reaction vessel.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses an automatic analysis device in which reaction detection tubes are repeatedly moved and all of the reaction detection tubes are used sequentially for analysis, and N±1=A×M (A is an integer of 2 or more) is satisfied, where N is the number of a plurality of reaction detection tubes arranged circumferentially in a rotary table, M is the number of the reaction detection tubes moved in one analysis cycle, there is no common factor other than 1 between N and M, and M<N/2 is satisfied. Specifically, when N=15, A=4, and M=4, the rotary table moves by one circle+an amount equivalent to one reaction detection tube after four analysis cycles. In this way, by moving the rotary table by one circle+the amount equivalent to one reaction detection tube through a plurality of cycles, specimens can be dispensed to the reaction detection tubes for a plurality of times during the moving, so that the number of specimens which can be analyzed per unit time can be improved without increasing a rotation speed of the rotary table. However, as a result, reaction detection tubes moved by one circle of the rotary table+the amount equivalent to one reaction detection tube from an original position after the plurality of cycles, so that in the example in which the rotary table moves by one circle+the amount equivalent to one reaction detection tube after four analysis cycles where N=15, A=4, and M=4, any one of the reaction detection tubes is positioned at a specimen discharge (dispensing) position after measurement and cleaning after 4 analysis cycles×15 reaction detection tubes=60 analysis cycles. That is, the process necessary for the change in absorbance of the reaction liquid may not be obtained when the reaction detection tube can be measured by a light detector only once every four analysis cycles, but by performing a first reagent dispensing after moving one analysis cycle from the specimen dispensing, the reagent can be dispensed to a position adjacent to a first reagent dispensing position, that is, to the reaction detection tube after four analysis cycles from the first reagent dispensing, so that the first reagent dispensing position and a mechanism related thereto are separated from the specimen dispensing position, and the time for stopping the reaction detection tubes in one cycle can be shortened. Also, cleaning positions of the reaction detection tubes appear to be dispersedly and adjacent to the reaction detection tubes whose reaction liquid is measured and can be cleaned after analysis cycles necessary for the rotary table to move by 1 circle+the amount equivalent to 1 reaction detection tube, so that the freedom of the configuration of the cleaning mechanism can be ensured.
Patent Literature 2 discloses an automatic analysis device configured such that a first reagent injection position and a second injection position are set to be adjacent to each other; a first stirring position and a second stirring position, at which a reaction liquid which is a mixture of the specimen and the reagent is stirred, are set to be adjacent to each other; and a stirring device is provided to be movable between the first stirring position and the second stirring position. In addition, it is described that a total number of reaction vessels is 221, and 112 reaction vessels is moved in one analysis cycle.